The Other Heroes
by angelwings02
Summary: A series of oneshots about the other heroes in the Percy Jackson series.
1. Becoming a Hunter

**Hi everyone.**

**This is a new project of mine, and it's about the other heroes in the Percy Jackson series. I noticed that the books did not really mention much about the past of some characters, and so I decided to use my imagination and write a chapter about each hero's lives!**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**

Zoe: Becoming a Hunter

Zoe patted Ladon's snout and smiled. It was not a happy smile. Thinking of what she was going to do later made her heart pound and her palms sweat. Nonetheless, she was determined. She was going to carry out her mission, and she was going to succeed, too. Failure would mean punishment and certain death.

Ladon stirred and opened one bright, gleaming eye to look at her. He snorted and blew out smoke, then went back to daydreaming. If this were some stranger, or even another Hesperide, who had come to pat his nose, they would find themselves either being torn from limb to limb, or erupting in a column of flame that smelled suspiciously like cough drops. But this was Zoe, and Zoe was Ladon's favourite Hesperide. In fact, she was his only favourite. So Ladon settled down contentedly, waiting in anticipation for what was to come—a brushing and a fresh bucket of lamb's meat just for him.

True enough, Zoe did not disappoint. Producing a hefty package from behind her and placing it before Ladon, she proceeded, brush in hand, to his tail, where she started scrubbing his scales till they shone. The calm sounds of the brush against Ladon's body armour managed to soothe Zoe's frazzled mind just a little, and she was able to think about today's plan without hyperventilating.

She had chosen today to carry out her plan, for today, a birthday celebration was to be held for one of her sisters. Even in the clearing, far from the main square, she could hear the sounds of preparation, and smell the smells of the party that was to come. Music floated in the air, and she could detect the faint smells of spices. The birthday celebration would be the perfect distraction. She had it all thought out: At nightfall, where everyone would be gathering at the main square for the celebration, she was to follow her sisters, and party just a bit, to show everyone that she was not missing. Then, she would sneak off to her room, making up an excuse here or there if necessary, and grab her backpack, already packed with survival equipment and enough food to last her at least a week, and sneak out and off to the world beyond Mount Tam.

It had to happen today. And it would. She was ready; she had no choice but to be.

The conch horn sounded, a single clear note that penetrated through the forests and reached her almost immediately. She jumped in surprise, knocked out of her reverie. Zoe picked up the brush she had dropped, went up front to retrieve the now empty bucket from Ladon, and went back to her room, trying to mask her heavy footsteps with fake, happy humming. She joined her sisters and strolled into the pavilion.

The party was well underway. Music floated in the air, and everyone, from the eldest Hesperide to the youngest tree nymph, seemed to be enjoying herself. In the centre of the clearing was a long table piled with all sorts of foods that had taken the better part of the day to prepare. Zoe could feel everyone's excitement: parties were very much welcome among her kind. But the fluttering of her heart was not due to excessive consumption of nectar. In a while, she would leave this place forever, for the better or for the worst, she wasn't sure. But she knew, knew with all her heart that she was going to see the outside world with her own eyes. This in mind, a fiery determination entered her eyes.

The sun set, and fireflies flitted here and there, joining in the party. The air smelled of honey and something else she could not place her finger on- a sweet intoxicating smell that was home. Mount Tam had always been like that. It was where she lived, how could she be so stupid as to want to leave her home? How dumb could that be? She had to be the most clueless girl ever. No, she was not going to run away. She would stay here forever. The idea seeped into her brain, snaked into her mind, cunning and persuasive, and whispered words to her. Why leave? Stay, and be happy. Everyone would be thrilled. There would be parties and celebrations. There would be games to play and food to eat. There would be sisters to laugh and joke with. There would be nothing to worry about. Zoe closed her eyes, a small smile on her face as she thought of that utopia. Yes, she would stay here forever.

Forever.

Forever?

No. She crushed that thought, stomped on it with all her might. _Snap out of it! _She told herself. This had taken months of planning; it was not going to end up in smoke. She _wanted_ to leave. There was just too much about the world that she did not know. Zoe did not want to be pampered all her life on this mountain. Mount Tam, despite all its comforts, always made Zoe feel as if she were stuck in a room with solid concrete walls and a high ceiling: suffocating and like a jail. She felt trapped. And no amount of sweets, nectar or cakes could remedy this feeling. The only way was to escape.

She knew the consequences. Ayla had attempted it before. And it had not gone good.

She sipped on her nectar and chatted to her sisters. She would miss them, but she was not going to let that ruin her plan. Selfish as it may seem, Zoe was going to leave her family behind and venture out into the unknown.

The party was now in full swing. Night had fallen over the party, embracing it with its dark, calming arms. The velvet sky twinkled with millions of stars. A cool breeze swept past Zoe. And it was time.

Putting down her nectar, she took on a brisk walk that was purposeful and did not seem suspicious. Blood pounded in her ears, but she kept her back ramrod straight, like how her sisters had always taught her to, and, eyes straight ahead, she walked to the edge of the party and exited the clearing.

The first and most daunting part of her mission complete, Zoe rushed to her room and grabbed her backpack. Throwing it over her shoulder, she crept out of the room, and walked slowly, hiding in the shadows, trying very hard not to make a sound. The owl overhead watched her with bright, observant eyes.

Things were going well so far, she had made it down most of the mountain without anyone noticing her. The rest of the mountain was pretty empty, for everybody was at the party. She continued at a brisk walk, still hiding in the dark for the fear that some lonely soul who did not bother going to the party today would find her and tell the whole world. Zoe's breathing, heavy with fear and anticipation, slowly lightened as she exited the thick layers of trees and saw thousands of small fires and twinkling lights- telltale signs of human civilization. Zoe smiled, feeling accomplished. She was almost free. Almost.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Zoe's breathe caught in her throat as she whirled around. Standing in front of her were three girls. They wore simple white dresses very much like the one Zoe was in. The middle one, the tallest girl, stepped forward, a mixture of disbelief and disgust evident on her face.

Zoe stopped, rooted to the spot. Shock momentarily crossed her face, before she smoothened the creases and stood tall and haughty, just like how her sisters had taught her to do before. This only served to irritate the girls standing opposite Zoe, for they knew what she was doing, and were now mentally berating themselves for ever teaching their little sister to act like a princess.

"Where do you think you're going?" the middle girl repeated, cold anger bubbling under her calm tone, threatening to break free at any moment. She was taller than Zoe, and took full advantage of it, stepping close to the runaway and looking down at her.

Zoe was not fazed. The momentary surprise of getting caught was over, and now she stood firm on the ground, determined not to let her sister intimidate her.

"I'm leaving," she said, eyes hard, voice unwavering.

Her sisters narrowed their eyes. "Why?" The one on the left asked.

Zoe took a deep breathe.

"Because I can't take it here anymore. It feels like a jail on Mount Tam! I want to go to the world outside and see it with my own two eyes. I want to know what it feels like to be free! I can't do that on Mount Tam."

Was it her, or did her sisters' eyes soften at her outburst? No, it had to be her.

"Please, let me go, I don't want to stay here anymore."

The owl overhead hooted, as if in agreement. Zoe glanced up, irritated yet amused. Interesting animals, owls were. Smart and wise, but also cunning and dangerous.

She turned her attention back to her three sisters. Their faces were blank, an empty slate out of which she could not derive any emotion. She could not tell what they were thinking. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. She licked her lips nervously, unsure of what to do. Her sisters, especially the oldest, seemed to be in a dilemma. Zoe could see the indecision in their eyes.

Finally, the middle girl sighed and closed her eyes in defeat.

'Fine, you can go."

Zoe's eyes widened in disbelief. That was surprisingly easy.

"Really?" she said, her brain ordering her body to not show signs of joy or shock, but her eyes betraying her anyway and widening just the slightest.

Her sister nodded and smiled. A rarity. "Go. Hurry, before anyone else discovers you."

Zoe broke out into a huge grin. This feeling was unexplainable; to have thought that there was no way out, but finding an exit anyway.

"But beware, once you leave, you will not be considered one of us anymore. You will be a stranger, and we will not treat you with hospitality. Understand?" Zoe nodded feverishly, not caring about the threat, for she never ever planned on coming back anyway. Sending a last grateful smile to her sisters, she picked up her baggage and made her way down the mountain. Mount Tam was now officially out of her life!

She walked down to civilization, but stopped in her tracks. Someone was following her.

She turned around cautiously, expecting a mortal mugger or something of that sort to be holding a knife at her throat. But no. It was not a thief, or a kidnapper.

It was a little girl. She was dressed in a silver coat and trousers, with her auburn hair pulled up in a tight ponytail. She looked around 12, not a kid, but not yet an adult. Her eyes were a strange sliver that glinted under the moonlight and made her have an unusual mysterious sparkle. They were deep and meaningful, and looked too wise to belong to a 12 year old. Zoe looked at the girl curiously. The girl just smiled.

"Can I help you?" Zoe asked tentatively.

The girl paused for a while, then said, "I saw what you did, Zoe. It was brave to stand up for what you believe in."

"What?" Zoe breathed sharply. "How'd you know me?"

Without a word, the girl turned into an owl, and then back to herself.

"Lady Artemis..? You're Lady Artemis?" For the second time that day, Zoe felt disbelief beyond belief.

Artemis smiled. "I can appear in whatever shape and size I wish to, but I do prefer this state. It is the average age of my fellow sisters."

"The Hunters?" Greek mythology was definitely not alien to Zoe.

"Yes, my Child." Artemis walked closer to Zoe before continuing. "It so happens that I am looking for a new Lieutenant for the Hunters, someone who is responsible and strong, someone who will love the Hunters and do what's best for them. My right hand girl, if you will." Artemis giggled at the sound of her words.

"Opinion and bravery are qualities that I value greatly, dear Zoe. And so I ask you if you would like to be a fellow Hunter, and my new Lieutenant."

Zoe's mouth fell open in earnest. Here was an Olympian goddess asking a favour of her! Lady Artemis wanted Zoe to be part of her family. The request in itself was already an honour.

She knew the benefits of being a hunter: immortality, exceptional combat skills, having a great family, where everyday spent with them was an adventure. And of course there was the oath, to forswear romantic love for all eternity. That, personally, was fine with Zoe. Boys were never important to her anyway.

The offer was almost tempting. She would be able to roam the world, and she would have a family to do it with. Being the Moon goddess's companion and sister-in-arms sounded like a really great deal.

Artemis was looking at her, those silver eyes bright and observant. She could tell that the young Hesperide was faced with conflict. She could tell that Zoe wanted to say yes, but something was holding her back. And Artemis knew exactly what held Zoe back.

After a moment of silence, Zoe looked up from the ground, brows furrowed. "It is an honour that you would consider me worthy to be the Lieutenant of the Hunters, Lady Artemis, but I am afraid I do not think I can do it."

"Why?" Artemis' eyes never left Zoe's. Zoe felt intimidated. But she knew it was not wrong to refuse, and there was nothing that Artemis could do to force her to agree. She was not doing anything against Ancient Laws.

Zoe took a deep breathe. "Believe me, Lady Artemis, I very much want to be a part of your family, but it is not possible. I am not someone the Hunters would be proud of My father-"

"Dear child," Artemis smiled for the first time since she made the proposal. "Do you not think that I would know about your ancestry and your past? I am aware of your family, Zoe, and I still want you to be a Hunter."

_My mind must be imagining things_, Zoe thought. How is it that Lady Artemis could be so accepting of her, even though she knew that her father was a diabolical Titan?

"No, you are not imagining things, Zoe." Artemis paused to study the girl's face. There was something under that confusion now: wonder, a hint of amazement.

"Would you like to be a Hunter?"

There was a pause.

Finally, Zoe lifted her head from the ground, her mouth curved at the edges in a small smile, eyes twinkling. "Yes, my Lady, I would very much like to be a Hunter."

Zoe recited the oath:

_I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis,_

_I turn my back on the company of men,_

_Accept eternal maidenhood,_

_And join the Hunt._

Artemis smiled. "And I, dear Zoe accept your pledge. I believe this now belongs to you." The goddess then proceeded to fitting a silver circlet onto her head. It braided itself into her hair, and Zoe admired how the circlet managed to fit so perfectly, as if it were meant for her all along.

And for the first time in her life, Zoe felt truly happy.

**I do apologise if I got the history of the Hesperides wrong. And also, I decided to let Zoe speak in modern English. Because if it would go horribly wrong if I tried to write in old English.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Before

**Hello again everyone :) Thanks for reading the first chapter, although I do wish you guys would review...**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter to The Other Heroes, and its about Lee Fletcher. Remember him? (Check the Battle of the Labyrinth)**

**I hope you like it! ^^**

Lee Fletcher walked into school and was greeted almost instantaneously by a throng of people.

"Morning, Lee!"

"Hi, Lee!"

"'Sup Fletcher?"

Lee made his was to his locker, waving and smiling at his schoolmates along the way. He turned his combination on the lock—0312, coincidentally his girl's birthday—and opened his locker. Inside were a few books, archery equipment, and tons of pictures of him and Clare.

Lee smiled, his fingers reaching for the picture his mom had snapped of the both of them. That had been last summer break, where they had taken a trip to the beach. He had been wearing bermudas, and she was in a summer dress, the one that Lee had playfully dubbed 'the most girly-girl dress Clare would ever wear'. Clare had stuck her tongue out at him and reached out to ruffle his hair. He chased he across the stretch of sand, yelling, unaware that his mother had filled a whole memory card with pictures of them both.

"Yo, Fletcher!" Lee turned around to see his two best friends, Kevin and Ayden, approaching.

"Hey," Lee chuckled. "What's up with the hair?" he asked Ayden. The talented musician grimaced.

"Kylie." He said. The other two nodded with understanding.

Kylie was Ayden's little sister. Her dream was to become a hair stylist when she grew up, and so Ayden was always her test subject for the latest hairstyles, gels and dyes. Today, his dark brown hair sported pink and purple streaks. Even though he didn't say it, Lee knew that Ayden enjoyed the fact that he was the one she had picked to be his guinea pig. Lee could see Ayden's love for Kylie, could see the care and concern in those eyes, the kind of care and concern that only older brothers could show.

Kevin put down the heavy equipment he had been carrying. He was in the AV club and had been trying to fix an old dysfunctional projector that had been neglected at the back of the AV room. Kevin arched his back, stifling a yawn.

"Dude, Where's Clare?" Lee usually picked Clare up for school.

"Home. She told me that her brother wanted to give her a ride." Lee slammed his locker shut and walked to homeroom with his buddies. "Hey, can I borrow your phone? My mom is adamant about me getting one."

Kevin handed his Motorola to Lee, and he dialed Clare's number as they entered the classroom.

"Hello?" Her voice, crystal clear and sweet, made Lee smile.

"Oh look, he's got that goofy look again," Kevin snickered, lightly punching Lee in the arm as he grabbed a seat.

Ignoring his friend, Lee spoke into the phone. "Hey. You coming to school?"

"Yeah, I'm at the front gate. See you in homeroom!"

Lee hung up, and, with dead accuracy, tossed the phone into Kevin's book bag, which hung from his chair three seats away. Archery had blessed him with quick reflexes and a keen eye.

People entering the classroom all said hi. Being captain of the sport that won the school the most prestige sure had its perks. There wasn't exactly a popular crowd in Lee's school, but Lee was well liked, by the girls for his looks, and by the guys for his leadership qualities.

The classroom door opened yet again with a soft _whoosh_, and Clare entered, slightly flustered, her honey coloured hair messy from the wind. She made a beeline for Lee.

"Hey." The smile was evident in her voice. He kissed her on the forehead, ignoring Kevin's immature gagging noises and Ayden's quiet snickering.

It was hard to tell why Lee was so attracted to Clare. Sure, with her long silky hair and warm brown eyes, she was deemed cute by many. Clare was kind, compassionate, and loved life. Lee felt so free when he was with Clare, like he didn't have to put on a mask to hide his true feelings. He could be an open book in front of her, and she wouldn't mind. But the reason why he was so intrigued with Clare was not because of how she looked, or how he could behave around her, but of what she saw.

Lee had hallucinations. He saw weird things that he could never understand, nor bring himself to explain. His mom had always told him that he was just imagining things. But he knew she was lying. Once, in preschool, when they had gone for a trip to the zoo, Lee had pointed at some of the horses and asked loudly why they had wings. Passers-by had chuckled at the little boy's imagination, but Lee could see from his mother's strained smile to her slightly widened eyes as she shooed him off to go see the giraffes that it was no imagination. His mom had told him time and time again that he was just imagining things, and so, with time, Lee had come to accept the fact that he had a hyperactive mind. But whenever he saw something weird, he would point it out to see if he had caught anyone off guard, to see of anyone had seen what he saw. People usually just shook their heads, amused by his cuteness.

So when Lee pointed to a tree during lunch break on their first week of school, and asked if anybody had seen that little girl run up and melt into that tree, he was genuinely surprised when Clare had pipped up: "You saw it too?"

Their classmates had went, "What, where?", but nobody saw anything. They went back to their own conversations, but Clare and Lee started debating about who the girl was, and why she seemed to have disappeared into the tree.

Ever since then, they had shared a special bond between themselves, the knowledge that they saw things that others did not, the comfort that there was another person who saw what they saw, and the relief at the realisation that they had not gone completely mad. From then on, Lee had a powerful urge to protect Clare, and he did so with all his heart. The girl fell in love with the boy, the boy fell in love with the girl; the rest was history. Clare was the main reason why he felt his life was perfect.

Yes, Perfect.

Lee was with people he loved, he got good grades (thanks to Clare's tutoring) despite being dyslexic, and he had archery.

Lee swore that archery was what he was made to do. He relished in every bit it, from the physical trainings to the aching muscles, to the sweet satisfaction when the arrow pierced the bull's eye. Archery was like a calling to him –ever since he held his first bow, Lee knew that he was going to love it.

Lee knew that his life was as perfect as it could get.

This was, of course, before Lee was introduced to the terms 'Apollo', 'demigod', and 'danger'.

**So... How was it? It somehow feels a little weird, I'm not sure why.**

**Please review! It would really help me improve my writing. And also, if you have any suggestions as to which hero I should write next, send me a message! I'll thank you with all my heart.**

**Okayy... Now I've gotta go prepare for the Youth Olympic Games. We're performing at the opening ceremony! :D**

**Not that you asked what I was going to do. Heh.**

**I'm nervous **


	3. Switching Sides

**Hi guys! Thank you everyone for reading!**

**I would like to say thank you to Alex Zamora, for giving me my first review, and t****o KTMILLI05, for the suggestions. I walked around school with a smile plastered on my face the whole day.**

**So the next chapter is about Chris Rodriguez, an unclaimed half-blood who betrayed the Gods because he felt neglected by them. This is dedicated to everyone who read, reviewed and favourited, especially KTMILLI05 for giving me the suggestion!**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

Chris was thrown on the floor by a laistrygonian.

He was kneeling on the floorboards of a large conference room on board the Princess Andromeda. The settings had suggested a once fine-looking ballroom, with intricate carvings and gold embroidered curtains. Now the room was a shadow of its original grandness. The walls had been defaced with claw marks, and the once beautiful curtains were now shredded and destroyed beyond repair. The grand chandelier, a last reminder of the formal appearance of the room, threw a harsh glaring light at every surface, making the defacements even more obvious. A thick transparent liquid – Chris tried not to imagine what it was – dripped down a side table, landing with silent plops onto the small puddle on the floor.

A teenager stood at the far end of the room. He had sandy blond hair and wore khaki bermudas with the signature orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

How ironic.

The teenager turned to face Chris. He lifted an eyebrow, pride in his cold blue eyes.

"Luke," Chris choked out.

Luke Castellan did not respond. He stared right at Chris' eyes, the icy blue against the panicky brown.

Chris shrank back, but kept his eyes latched on the son of Hermes.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Luke redirected his gaze to the laistrygonian.

"You caught him sneaking on board when we docked?" Luke's voice sounded unusually stiff. It was a peculiar sound, much too authoritative for a young man like himself. It sounded so different from the voice Luke had once used to welcome Chris to camp that the latter, for a fleeting moment, wondered if this was the real Luke.

The answer he came up with was an indefinite no. Luke was definitely not the same person who had shown him the ropes at camp so many years ago.

The minion grunted in a 'yes'.

Luke paced around the room leisurely, like he was the master of the world. Indeed, soon, he would be.

"And I suppose you're on a mission for Percy?"

The question came so suddenly that Chris was momentarily shocked with fear, his mouth dry, breath caught in his throat.

The laistrygonian poked him with its pointy spear.

"N-no." Chris managed to sputter out.

"No?"

"No." This time it was confirmed with much confidence.

"Care to tell me why?" The pacing stopped. Luke came face to face with Chris again, those intense eyes filled with so much hatred that Chris was sure they could see through his soul, or burn through the strongest shield.

He struggled up from the floor, wincing as his injured leg almost gave way. The laistrygonian made a motion to stop him, but was halted by Luke's raised hand.

Chris finally managed to stand. He was now eye to eye with Luke, the former being almost as tall as the latter.

He wasn't afraid anymore. The only thing that he had been scared of when sneaking on board was that he would be killed without getting a chance to explain himself. Now that the possibility had been dismissed by Luke's question, Chris had no more need to be afraid. He had no reason to be. After all, his appearance would be beneficial to them.

Chris squared his shoulders.

"I'm here to join your army." Good. His voice was nice and steady; it did not betray him. Even though Chris knew that he had no need to be scared, he could not help the flutter of his heart as he spoke, could not help the slight tremble of his hands. But at least his voice had been unafraid.

Luke smiled. No, not smiled. To say that Luke had smiled would be an insult to the word. What Luke had managed to produce was a cross between a smirk and s sneer, like he knew what was going to happen, and relished in it.

"You know me, I've never been claimed by anyone. I'm almost a grown-up now, yet I still don't know who my parents really are. I'm tired of waiting for a claiming that will never happen. I want to fight the Gods, I want to see them fall. They need to experience the pain that they impose on us half-bloods. I want my revenge.."

Chris closed his mouth, panting slightly.

Luke had been looking at his all the while, amusement in his eyes, like that of a predator watching the prey's futile attempts of escape.

"You want to serve Kronos, then." It was not a question, rather a confirmation, almost an order.

"Yes."

"Prove yourself then. Kill a Half-blood."

The battle was fairly small scale, but it was the most important one to Chris. It would prove his loyalty to Kronos.

He could not wait.

It was an ambush. Luke's minions had been tracking a small group of Half-bloods in Seattle, carrying out a mission. There were three of them: a daughter of Apollo, and two sons of Demeter. Twins, he had heard. His job was to kill them all.

Chris had been tracking them for a few days now, and he had managed to close in on their exact location.

It was nightfall. Chris was crouched on a thick tree branch in the park, the one that the demigods would pass by in order to go back to their dingy little motel. Only this time, they would never be going back.

Chris was uncomfortable. He had been squatting in that same position for almost an hour now, and his hands were bleeding slightly from the sharp, rough bark. But he noticed none of this. He was too focused on the stone pathway directly beneath his little hideout.

Anytime now.

Minutes ticked by, and Chris shivered slightly as the temperature dipped.

Chris heard scuffling, like sneakers against fallen leaves. He looked down, and there they were.

The three of them walked in formation, the girl flanked on each side by a boy.

Chris slipped down the tree and landed on the ground with a soft thump. He knew that they would hear him, given their ADHD and battle reflexes.

Sure enough, the three of them turned.

The girl's eyes widened. "Chris!"

He remembered the girl. She had been nice to everyone at camp, she smiled a lot. She always offered something brightly coloured to her father at dinner – an orange, custard pie, and on one occasion, banana flavoured marshmallows. She told everyone that her offerings represented the sun, the symbol of Apollo.

The girl took a step towards Chris.

"Where have you been? Everyone's worried sick about you!"

Chris smirked inwardly. Lies, they were all a bunch of sodding lies.

"You've gotta some back, let's go back right now!" She said, excitement in her voice.

His face remained blank. Chris drew out his sword, crouching down into battle stance.

The girl's eyes widened for a second time, as did the boys'.

"Chris – What?"

"I have to kill you."

Realisation dawned in the twins' faces. "You've gone over to the other side."

As a confirmation, Chris charged.

He went for the shorter of the boys. Blade met dagger as they fought, stabbing and deflecting. Chris was easily twice the size of the younger twin, and he was overpowering him bit by bit. Chris could feel in his blocks that he was starting to loose strength. The other two tried to help, but it was no use. With a grunt, Chris tipped the boy's hand over and sent the dagger flying. The blade went soaring in the air, and landed in Chris' outstretched hand. With deadly accuracy – Kronos must have given him blessings – he flung the dagger. It hit the boy square in the chest.

A strangled cry escaped the lips of the remaining Demeter boy. Anguish filled his eyes. Chris knew that he was in no shape to fight, after seeing his brother die. Chris took full advantage of this event. Launching himself at the remaining boy, Chris continued stabbing. The boy had produced a dagger too, but his fighting was half-hearted. What was the use of fighting if your brother was already dead? Tears were flowing down his cheeks as he blocked and parried. With a final blow, the second Demeter boy went down.

He stood facing the girl. She was young, maybe only eleven, and obviously scared. He wondered fleetingly why the Gods would allow such an innocent child to go on a mission, to let her face the dangerous world and jeopardizing her life. They probably would not think much if one child died. After all, they had many more.

Another reason to hate the gods.

She stood in a state of shock, her face ashen, eyes wide, lips slightly parted in a soundless gasp, a silent plea for help. For a moment, a small part of him wanted to take the little girl in his arms and tell her that everything was okay. He pushed that longing away.

Chris advanced, holding a dagger his previous victim had owned. He was now right in front of the Apollo girl. She was at a disadvantage here: archery was near to impossible in closed-up situations.

He held the dagger up.

"Chris," the girl whispered, imploringly. "Why?"

He did not answer her. Instead, as quick and precise as a lion going in for the kill, he sliced the dagger across her neck, deep enough to puncture the main veins.

She sank to the floor.

Chris glanced at his handiwork. He almost chuckled at how quick everything had been.

There was no remorse in his eyes as he walked away to contact Luke, nothing but the crazy, insane determination that he had seen in Luke's eyes all along.

**I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! So that I can improve my writing. Because there is still a lot to improve on.**

**Suggestions for the next hero are welcome! ^^**

**Thank you once again for reading.**


	4. Operation Chocolate Surprise

**Hey everybody. I'm sorry for not updating! My exams just finished a while ago, and piano dip. is **_**killing**_** me. Really. But enough about me.**

**On with the story! :) Involving chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies.**

Travis was sweating buckets. The sun shone down mercilessly, and without the presence of clouds, seemed to dominate the sky even more. The strawberries baked in the fields, and Travis was sure that with a little flour and some eggs, strawberry cake would pop out of nowhere. His Camp Half-Blood shirt was soaked through, his hair plastered to his head.

Camp was pretty empty; everyone was trying to seek shade. Tree nymphs were hiding amongst the greens of the forest, water spirits sought refuge in the lake, and campers had disappeared into their cabins, trying to come up with ways to stay cool.

In Travis' arms was a heavy wooden crate. It had taken many ideas and plans, some not entirely legal, to obtain the crate, so Travis paid much attention to it and the contents which lay inside, praying that the sun would not melt the chocolate eggs.

Travis heaved the crate up, his arms numb and feeling like lead. He wondered how chocolate could ever be so heavy.

It was a good thing that the weather was so unbearably hot. That way, nobody would notice him heaving a crate across camp, because they would be somewhere trying to cool off. But if anybody _did_ ask him, he would say that Chiron had assigned him to release a monster in the forest. An unlikely story, but it was the best that Connor could come up with.

"Connor," Travis grumbled as he remembered his brother. The younger Stoll has disappeared somewhere that morning, and was now nowhere to be found. He needed help carrying the crate if he didn't want to collapse from exhaustion.

Travis walked on, the sun beating down on his back. He started humming a tuneless song. The hard wood cut into his arms, leaving angry red marks in its wake. But he did not complain: the rich, creamy, Cadbury-in-his-mouth feeling would make up for it.

At last, the Hermes cabin came into view. Travis quickened his pace slightly, anticipating the reaction of his brothers and sisters when they found out what he had done.

Kicking the old wooden door open, Travis clambered into the Hermes cabin. He was greeted with a few cries of welcome.

The Hermes cabin was an odd, joyful bunch. Packed beyond maximum, worse than sardines in a can, with cramped bunkbeds, hammocks, and an array of sleeping bags, the Regular and Undetermined, talked, slept, lived all together. Connor has once stated, with Connor-styled humour, that the Hermes cabin was just like a 'community bath'.

Crude as it may seem, that was true. The unclaimed came from everywhere, so technically, Hermes could be hosting the kids of any god or goddess. Travis always felt that the Olympians owed Hermes and his children big time. He and his brother had once thought of charging fees for staying at Cabin Eleven ('Five bucks per night! Cheap cheap accommodation!'), but didn't want to anger the gods, especially Zeus. Getting fried by lightning was not how Travis wanted to die. Neither was drowning or simply being pulled underground, for that matter.

"Hey guys," Travis greeted as he settled the crate on an empty space on the floor – vacated by a boy who had been claimed by Apollo the week before. "Look what I've got."

Eighty or so pairs of eyes zeroed in on the crate.

"Whatcha got there, Travis? Whatcha got!" Nine year old Jeremy, son of Hermes, asked with his ever present enthusiasm. Jeremy has entered camp when he was seven, and held an almost obsessive admiration for the Stoll brothers and what they called 'the art of pranking'.

Travis smiled an all knowing smile, searching for a crowbar to pry the crate open with. Locating one at the corner of the room, he made his way across the floor, careful not to tread on any of the sleeping bags, grabbed it, and mace his way back.

"You'll see." The entire cabin watched with bated breathe. Jeremy giggled with excitement.

"You've done something illegal again, haven't you." The voice came from the back, where most of the Undetermined slept. It was proud and pompous, with a slight British inflection.

Travis stood up, and looked the speaker straight in the eye. "So what if I have, Ellie?"

Ellie, or Eleanor, was of British descent, and had lived in England for most of her childhood before Daddy decided to expand his peanut industry and bring it to America. She came from a rich family, and was used to the finer things in life. Apparently, Daddy's nut-making (yes, Travis thought wryly, they made _nuts_ all right) business had given her a 4-poster bed, assorted jewelry, her own horse (her own horse! Travis snorted) and her own personal maid. So of course, se disliked the messiness of the Hermes cabin, and looked down upon their pranks with even more disdain.

Her proud, by-the-book, always-please-the-teacher way of life pissed many of the Hermes cabin off, and led Travis to come to the conclusion that she was a child of Demeter. After all, they were always so uptight about breaking rules.

Ellie stood up too. "You ignoramus imbecile. If Chiron finds out what you've done, whatever it is, We'll all be in deep trouble, and I absolutely refuse to be dragged into this mess." She huffed and muttered to herself, "Immatures. I have a record to maintain."

"Oh? And what record would that be, dear Ellie? He record for never-being-scolded-by-a-centaur?" A few scattered snickers were silenced by Ellie's piercing glare.

Travis pried out the last nail of the box, and the crate fell apart, revealing its contents to the whole cabin. Everyone stared, mouths open, shock and awe evident on their faces as they saw the signature purple and silver tin foil wrapping, smelled the slight aroma that wafted into their noses.

The whole cabin, well, almost the whole cabin, broke out in cheers.

"Chocolate eggs!" Jeremy clapped his hands in delight.

"Where'dja get them, Travis? Where, where?" The little boy was overcome with glee.

The campers turned to their counselor, the same question evident on everyone's minds.

Travis smiled and ruffled Jeremy's soft hair.

"Sorry, buddy, can't tell. Some parts of my plan were illegal," he replied, practically yelling the last word, directed at Ellie. The girl just rolled her eyes, flicking her slivery blond hair over her shoulders. The cabin laughed.

"Okay," Travis called, clapping his hands together to get attention. "Here's what we're gonna do. These eggs are extremely precious, so don't waste them. There're enough here for everyone to have one. And as for the rest," He chuckled. "I have a plan for the rest."

That night, Travis prayed extra hard to Hermes, and asked his dad for help.

The next day, at dinner, Ellie was claimed by Demeter. Watching the stalk of Golden wheat fade from above Ellie, Travis smiled inwardly, thanking Hermes for comfirming his suspicions.

Ellie moved into the Demeter cabin, and Travis could now carry out his plan.

Connor has appeared a day later, lugging another crate of chocolate, this time in Easter Bunny form. He caught on fully to Travis' plan.

"Okay…" Travis said, adjusting his black sweater. Both twins were dressed in dark clothes, and had beanies to prevent the moonlight from shining off their light hair. "We ready?"

Today was Operation Chocolate Surprise (Not a good name. Most of Connor's names weren't all that good, but it hardly mattered.), and the Stoll brothers were going to play a prank on the Demeter cabin.

It was dark outside, around two in the morning. Stars twinkled in the sky, and Travis could see a slice of moon from the window of the Hermes cabin. Everyone was asleep, perfect for the plan.

Connor adjusted his beanie and nodded. "Ready."

The brothers each heaved up a crate of leftover chocolate and tip toed as stealthily as possible out of the Hermes cabin. They crossed camp, over to the Goddess' side.

The Demeter cabin was not hard to find. It stood next to Artemis' glowing cabin, smelling slightly of honeysuckle. Vines – the pretty, poetic ones – grew up the walls; flowers of every colour bloomed: pink, purple, yellow, blue. It looked like a rainbow had exploded. The roof was made of glass, the moonlight shone through. On the porch, which was painted alternating strips of white and green, were two rattan chairs and a table. A glass vase holding flowers sat atop the table. A rug that said 'Welcome' was laid before the door. It was all so… so neat.

It was revolting.

Connor looked up at the glass roof and all the flowers and made a guttural sound in his throat. "This is disgusting."

Travis chuckled. "Ya think? Come on, let's get to work before this cuteness gets to me."

'Thank the Gods for vines' was what Travis was thinking as he climbed the walls. The think, curvy stems snaked upwards toward the roof, giving Travis maximum grip. They had decided that Travis would climb up the roof, and catch the eggs that Connor would throw up to him. Their initial plan of carrying the crates between them had failed when they discovered that feat was almost impossible to carry out. After his fifth fall, Connor swore that his butt had completely numbed over, and refused to try again.

Grabbing onto the side of the roof, Travis swung his leg over, and clambered onto the glass.

"Are you okay?" Connor whispered from below.

Travis nodded, then, remembering that Connor could barely see him, he called down, "Yeah, throw 'em up."

The first piece of chocolate to come up was an Easter bunny. Travis' creative juices flowed (yes, pranking required immense concentration and creativity; it was an _art_). He decided to arrange the cute 'lil bunnies (oh dear, the Demeter cabin was getting to him) so that they looked as though they were having a picnic of chocolate eggs. He smiled gleefully at his plan, and then proceeded to arrange the chocolate that his brother sent up.

Cute Little Bunnies Having a Picnic of Chocolate Eggs took longer that expected, as Travis, hit by a sudden wave of ingenuity, bit and dug out tiny bite larks in the chocolate eggs, so it seemed as though the bunnies had actually eaten the chocolate. By the time he was done, Connor had fallen asleep at the foot of the vine. 'How unprofessional', Travis thought, shaking his head at his twin. Travis could just make out a faint pink line on the horizon,

Finished with his masterpiece, Travis took once last satisfied glance at his work, and slid down the vines, landing softly on his feel. He kicked Connor awake. His brother woke up sputtering, yelling "chilli dogs!". Travis almost burst out laughing, high from euphoria, and experiencing a slight sugar rush from all the chocolate he has eaten.

"Shut up, you idiot. We're done. C'mon, let's go." He said, smiling.

"Oh. Oh right. Yeah." Connor scrambled to his feet, following his brother back to the Hermes cabin.

Later that day, when most of the campers had woken up, the Bunny Picnic was discovered by Katie Gardner, camp counselor for Demeter. She practically exploded with anger, probably because the slowly melting chocolate was dirtying her precious glass roof. Everyone in the Hermes cabin had a good laugh, and the Stoll brothers were hailed yet again as the masters of pranking. Of course, they were later punished (courtesy of Ellie) and were made to clean up their chocolaty mess. But it was all worth it.

The _looks_ on their faces.

**There! Insipration came from The Last Titan, when Katie expressed her apparent dislike for the Stoll brothers.**

**Please note that I don't mean to insult British when I portrayed Ellie! It was just a coincidence. And thanks to my deskmates for inspiring Ellie's alliteration.**

**Please review! Criticism is greatly welcome. Greatly.**

**Thank you for reading!**


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